DOVER-FOXCROFT – First the Foxcroft Academy Ponies answered the bell.

Then they rang their victory bell – loud enough to let the Class C football world know they’re headed back to the state final for the third straight year after a 14-7 victory over John Bapst of Bangor in Saturday’s LTC championship game at Oakes Field.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Foxcroft senior lineman Adam LePrevost. “I’ve been down [to Portland for the state game] two times before, and now I get the pleasure to play three times in a row.

“And to hear that bell and to feel the spirit of 60 guys all as one big family is unbelievable.”

Junior quarterback Jamie Nason passed for one touchdown and ran 4 yards for the winning score late in the third quarter as the Ponies (11-0) won their third straight Eastern Maine crown and fifth in the last six years.

“Our philosophy was that we had to stop their fullback and then their wingbacks,” said John Bapst coach Dan O’Connell. “The Nason kid’s a gamer. I know the idea around the league is to stop those backs and try to make him beat you, and today he made the plays to do it. He deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Foxcroft’s defense held John Bapst to 2.4 yards per rushing attempt while using interceptions by Ian Champeon, Jason Gould and Ben Provost to slow the Crusaders’ passing game.

“[Foxcroft coach Paul Withee] said at the beginning of the year that this was his best defense, and I’m not sure I believed him,” said O’Connell. “But I’ll tell you after today that they can flat out play defense. They played a great game.”

The Ponies will play Western Maine champ Boothbay next Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in search of their first state title since 2003. Boothbay (10-1) held off Winthrop 28-21 to earn its first trip to the final since 2002, when the Seahawks edged Foxcroft 25-20.

“The past two years have been fairly disappointing for us,” said FA tailback and linebacker Jerod Rideout. “This year it’s our senior team and we’re going to go down there and cause havoc. We’re ready to go.”

John Bapst (9-2) was after its first LTC crown since 1976, and when the Crusaders’ Bill Wetherbee returned the second-half kickoff 33 yards to set up a 28-yard TD pass from Kyle Gallant to Aaron Healey, this game suddenly was tied at 7-7.

Foxcroft responded with a 15-play, 72-yard drive that included three third-down conversions and a 26-yard run by Shane Adkins that ended with teammate Evan Worthing recovering a fumble at the Bapst 11.

On fourth-and-3 from the 4, Nason rolled right and dove into the end zone, and Brandon Gourley added the extra point to restore the Ponies to a seven-point lead with 1:47 left in the period.

“We’re a team of power and we like to drive it at people, so on fourth down Coach called out to see if I could do it. I knew I could do it and my team knew I could do it,” said Nason. “I saw Adkins push out the defensive end and knew I could cut up field. I was a little short, but I held out my arms and made it.”

John Bapst threatened once more, with a 41-yard sideline pass from Gallant to Derek Smith moving the Crusaders inside Foxcroft territory. But on fourth-and-8 from the 16, Gallant’s pass to Ryan Moriarty in the end zone fell incomplete with 4:21 left.

“I’m very proud of these kids,” said Withee, “because any time you’ve got the bulls-eye on your back like we’ve had, to do it three years in a row is special.”

John Bapst got the game’s first big break when Chase Huckestein recovered a short opening kickoff the Ponies were unable to field at the FA 30. But the Crusaders were unable to move the ball, and Champeon intercepted a fourth-down pass by Gallant to end the threat.

“Ian broke on that first pass play over the middle and intercepted it, and that stalled them when they had all the momentum,” Withee said. “I think it gave us a lot of confidence as a defensive team on that first series by forcing a turnover.”

A subsequent exchange of punts gave Foxcroft possession at the Bapst 38. Rideout and Adkins each ripped off a 14-yard gain, and two plays later Nason found Rideout over the middle for a touchdown from 11 yards out as time expired in the first quarter.

“I looked for the post first and it wasn’t open,” said Nason. “Then I just saw Jerod out of the corner of my eye and let it fly.”

The Crusaders thought they had the equalizer moments later when Gallant intercepted a Nason pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown, but an illegal blocking penalty nullified the return. Bapst did move to the Foxcroft 24 before two straight strong defensive plays by Foxcroft linebacker Danny Brown stalled the drive.

PONIES 14, CRUSADERS 7

John Bapst (9-2) 0 0 7 0 – 7

Foxcroft (11-0) 7 0 7 0 – 14

FA – Rideout 11 pass from Nason (Gourley kick)

JB – Healey 28 pass from Gallant (Gallant kick)

FA – Nason 4 run (Gourley kick)

John Bapst Foxcroft

First downs 9 11

Rushing att.-yards 36-84 40-186

Passing comp.-att. 6-17 5-10

Passing yards 100 45

Total yards 184 231

Punts-avg. 3-25.7 4-36.7

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0

Intercepted by 1 3

Penalties-yards 4-25 5-47

Rushing

John Bapst: N. Smith 16-30, Huckestein 6-26, Wetherbee 5-22, Gallant 9-6; Foxcroft: Adkins 9-63, Champeon 6-45, Rideout 11-43, Provost 8-24, Nason 6-11

Passing

John Bapst: Gallant 6-16-2-100, N. Smith 0-1-1-0; Foxcroft: Nason 5-10-1-45

Receiving

John Bapst: D. Smith 4-63, Healey 1-28, Huckestein 1-9; Foxcroft: Adkins 2-24, Rideout 2-15, Gould 1-6

A-1,500 (est.)